Chapter 3: Questionable Impressions

Jareth wasn't quite sure why it was he was so concerned with Sarah's being ill. Everybody got colds every now and then… why should this be different? Gee I don't know… Maybe it's because you're a fool who is stupidly starting to care for a practical stranger that you are stuck with for the next month, a blunt and very sarcastic inner voice told him. And it was true; he'd only been in the mortal world for a mere three days and he'd already reawakened the feelings he'd started feeling for Sarah ten years ago. When she'd gone to bed the previous night without any comment or even looking at him, he'd become slightly worried. When she didn't wake up until almost noon, he'd become more worried. Now that she was trying to cough up a lung, he was terrified. What the hell was he supposed to do for her? He'd always been the one being taken care of, not the other way around. Whenever a babe came to the castle that was sick, he'd summon the healer to deal with the problem. True, he'd keep a close watch on the child, but he never had anything to do with curing it.

Another racking cough came from Sarah's room, breaking him out of his musing. He flinched as the fit lasted for more than a minute. When Sarah had gotten up that morning, it had been to go to the bathroom. She'd emerged with two small capsules, gone to the sink in the kitchen, pulled out a glass, filled it with water, and swallowed the capsules whole. Jareth hadn't understood the ritual, but she'd gone back to her room, muttering about how the capsules should kick in soon. Now, five hours later, Jareth wondered how soon 'soon' was.

He felt that he should do something for her; after all, if he hadn't insisted on going to the carnival yesterday, she wouldn't have been caught out in the rain. Oh hell, if he was going to start blaming anything, he should blame the council for putting him in her custody… then again, it went farther back than that. It went back to Sarah wishing her baby brother away. But wait, she wouldn't have had a baby stepbrother had her mother not been so 'free' in her relationship. Jareth groaned and put his head in his hands. It was an endless line of blame that could just keep on going. Really if he felt like being honest, it was his fault. He'd had a choice after she'd left his kingdom in ruins. He could either regroup and rebuild, or go sulk. Unfortunately, he'd chosen to sulk.

Jareth stood from the couch and decisively walked to Sarah's door. He poked his head in to see her curled up on her side trying to read a book through the violent coughing fits that came along every ten minutes or so. "Sarah?" he voiced quietly. She turned to him a Kleenex in one hand, her book in the other, her eyes watering, her nose running and red. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"No, there's peanut butter and jelly in the cupboard and bread on the counter though if you're hungry. Knives are in the drawer next to the sink," she said sounding like her sinuses were severely stuffed.

He nodded and backed out the door. Jareth shuffled to the kitchen; Sarah'd brought up a valid point, he hadn't eaten all day. He opened a couple of cupboards before finding the sticky gooey stuff he'd become fond of and on the shelf above it were cans of soup. He eyed it suspiciously and decided that Sarah needed to eat. Soup was something that was supposed to make you feel better AND it was supposedly easy to cook. He pulled down the first can available, chicken noodle, and went to find something to cook it in. He found a saucepan in the cupboard under the countertop and put it on the stove. Luckily, the can had a pull-tab opener because Jareth wouldn't have known how to open it otherwise. He opened the can and dumped the contents into the pan. He noticed the dials on the front of the stove, found the one for the burner he wanted and turned it to medium low heat.

While the soup was warming, he pulled out the things needed to make a PB & J sandwich for himself. While eating it, he found a bowl and a spoon for the soup and stirred the liquid contents in the pan. When it was bubbling slightly and steaming, he poured some into the bowl and grabbed the tray he'd found hidden in the very back of the cupboard. Carefully, so as not to spill, he brought the tray into Sarah's room. She sat up surprised, "You didn't have to, Jareth…"

"You needed something to eat," he cut her off.

She quietly accepted the tray. "Thanks."

"Eat," he said sitting down in the wooden chair across from the bed.

Sarah brought a spoonful of soup to her mouth and blew on it to cool it, then slurped it down. Jareth winced slightly at the slurping sound. Sarah glanced over to him. "Do you intend to watch me eat? I get a little nervous with people watching."

"You get nervous when people watch you eat? What, are you afraid they'll steal your food? Well I can assure you that I've already eaten. Your directions to the peanut butter and jelly were satisfactory."

Sarah started to laugh, but it quickly turned into a cough, Jareth half rose before she stopped and waved him back down. "It's fine, I just need some cough medicine."

"Where is it? I'll get it for you."

"I don't have any. I have to go buy some."

"You don't intend to go out as you are, do you?"

"I have to; how else am I going to get it?"

"Don't you have a friend you can call, or what about your father or stepmother?" Sarah's face became pained as he mentioned her family. "What? What did I say?" he asked.

"N-nothing," she weakly denied as she quickly looked away from his gaze.

"You don't have the strength to try lie to me now, Sarah," he softly said as he reclined in the stiff chair waiting patiently for an answer. But she shook her head no. "Sarah," he became a little stern. "If you are in pain, I suggest you tell me," He wasn't quite sure where this sudden bravery was coming from.

"No, I…" she sighed in defeat. "It's just that… I haven't talked to my family in nearly seven years."

Jareth sat stunned. Why hadn't he known this? But of course, in the years after she'd left his labyrinth, he'd determinedly ignored his emotional connection with her and resisted the compelling temptation to find her in one of his crystals. "What happened?" he asked quietly.

Sarah sat for a moment, sipping at her soup. Jareth thought she wasn't going to answer, when she spoke again, "I'd rather not talk about it just now, Jareth.

Jareth nodded and instead changed the subject, "Is there a friend you can call?"

Sarah thought for a moment then smiled up at him, "Yeah, in fact it's someone who has wanted to meet you."

He quirked an eyebrow at her, "Who've you told about me?"

o O o O o O o

An hour after Sarah had placed the call to her friend Jackie, Jareth was rising to answer the door. He was wary about this Jackie person, but was forced to rely on her for Sarah's medicine. He would have gladly run out to get the medicine himself, but there were too many things he didn't know, like how to get there, what medicine to buy, and how to pay… all very important things.

Jareth pulled open the front door to the apartment to see a short African American woman with straight shoulder length black hair and bright red side swept bangs. She wore dark skinny jeans, a russet colored studded leather jacket, and black flats. In one hand she carried a plastic bag with what Jareth presumed was Sarah's medicine, on her other shoulder she wore a long strapped fringed multi colored purse. Jareth quirked an eyebrow at the young woman's strange appearance. "Jackie I presume?" he asked moving to let her in.

Jackie casually checked him out, moving her eyes from his platinum blond hair down to his casual fit jeans Sarah had picked up at the Good Will store. "I see what Sarah meant," was all she said before walking into the apartment, setting down her purse then marching into Sarah's room.

As soon as she shut Sarah's bedroom door, Jareth heard the high-pitched voices of the women when they are excited. He shook his head and closed the front door before settling back on the couch with Sarah's David Eddings book from upstairs in hand. He'd decided to give the book a chance seeing as how it was so worn, that Sarah must have read it numerous times. So far, it was quite good; the world was a fantastical one that he could understand, with kings, queens, knights, quests, and prophecies. Jareth had already gotten half way through the book just that morning and was beginning to believe that it was going to have a short choppy ending, until he looked and saw there were four more books in the series, then another five with the same characters then another two books that went into detail on two of the main characters. Jareth grinned… well at least he'd have something to keep him occupied while he was here in the mortal realm. He let himself relax into the couch and continued reading.

o O o O o O o

Sarah had been expecting some kind of outburst when Jackie shut the door to her room, but all the petite woman did was turn to look at her with wide eyes and squeal the words, "Oh… my… God!" in a pitch slightly higher than normal. "Is that who I think it is, and if so where did you find him," she laughed, "and where can I get one?"

"Would you believe I found him in my loft?" Sarah asked sitting up in bed and coughing again.

"Oh honey, here take your medicine then we'll talk more," Jackie said pulling out the cough syrup.

Once Sarah had taken her medicine and it had started to work enough that she wasn't coughing every ten minutes, she started to tell Jackie the whole story, everything starting from that night ten years ago to two nights ago when the Goblin monarch had reappeared in her life. When she'd finished, Jackie was in wide-eyed wonder. Sarah was starting to worry that she'd gone into shock or something when she seemed to snap out of it. "So, he's going to be here for another twenty four days?"

Sarah nodded.

"That doesn't give us much time to work with."

Sarah gave her a confused look.

"Honey, it's obvious from the way you talk about him that you care about him."

Sarah blushed, "Is it that obvious?"

"Honey, I could tell from the way you draw and paint him how you felt about him. I thought you were just obsessing over a fictional person at the time, but it turns out he's not so fictional, is he?" she smirked.

"Jackie, he hates me though! I'm the reason his kingdom was torn apart!"

"Yeah, but from what you told me, he was begging you to stay with him. And judging by the guard dog routine he's doing out there, he still cares about you."

"I don't know, Jack. He seems okay now, but I think I hurt him pretty bad."

"Look, Sarah, what harm could it do to try?"

o O o O o O o

An hour later, Jackie was bidding her goodbyes to Jareth and Sarah, making promises to check-in later. Sarah was feeling well enough to get out of bed so she came out to sit with Jareth on the couch after Jackie had left. They sat watching TV quietly until Sarah spoke, "Did you like the carnival yesterday?"

"Yes, it was pleasant," he replied not looking up from his book.

"I was wondering, you seemed really happy yesterday when we first got to the carnival, why?" she asked. "Not that I'm complaining!" she added hastily.

Jareth smiled a bit and put his book down. "It was because of the children. How loved they must have been by their parents for them to have taken their children there. In my line of work, as taker of the unwanted, I usually only see children who are unwelcome, unloved, and, or abused. It was refreshing to see quite the opposite," he finished quietly.

Sarah wasn't sure what to say to that, especially since the only reason she knew Jareth at all was because she'd wished her brother away. At one time she had deemed Toby to be unwanted and Jareth had come to collect. She wondered what he had thought of her. Did he see her as the spoiled child she'd been, or did he see her as having potential, and is that why he offered to let her run the labyrinth? "How often do you have runners in the labyrinth?" she asked quietly.

"Not as often as I'd hope," he said remorsefully.

"What?" she asked confused.

"Some don't run for their loved ones. Some choose to take their dreams. So you can see why I'd prefer them to run the labyrinth. You know, I never intended to turn Toby into a goblin," he glanced at her before continuing. "I thought about adopting him, but even if I hadn't, he would've never been a goblin. Only a goblin citizen," he said as though trying to reassure her.

"Oh…" was all she could say.

They sat for a while longer before Sarah got up and made a light dinner for them both. Soup again, only this time it was tomato with oyster crackers. She bid goodnight to Jareth and retreated to her room again.

o O o O o O o

The next few days passed quietly. Sarah recovered from her cold and Jareth went through the first three books of The Belgariad series by David Eddings. Spending all day together was starting to make Sarah feel more comfortable with the Goblin monarch, but whenever they brushed hands when passing the pepper, or rubbed elbows on the couch while watching TV, she felt a small tingle of electricity pass through her. That was nothing though, compared to when he put his arm around behind her shoulders, while resting on the couch as though it was the most casual thing ever. She'd looked over at him, but he didn't seem to notice her reaction.

It was Thursday when Sarah hesitantly entered the loft where Jareth had taken to reading. It appeared that he enjoyed the old lazy boy recliner as much as she did. She approached the Fae king, hands wringing themselves behind her back. "Jareth?" he looked up from Castle of Wizardry, the fourth book in the series. "I was wondering… I mean, I have a favor to ask of you," she paused again.

"Yes?" he urged her.

"You see, I have a commission whose deadline is coming up and I haven't started yet. And… I was wondering… if… if you'd be willing to pose for me?" she finished not meeting his eyes.

Jareth smiled, he'd been wondering if she'd ask him to pose for her. "And what would be in it for me?" he asked, still smirking.

She looked up sharply, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I'd be rendering a service to you, and usually that demands payment," he said closing the book and placing it on the little table next to the chair.

Sarah didn't like the look in his eyes, it clearly said there was some kind of mischievous plan he had in mind. She crossed her arms and looked down her nose at him, "And just what do you suggest for payment? I'm already giving you free room and board…"

"Ah, but the room and board were paid for long ago by my generosity when you visited me in the Underground. No, I think a kiss should do it," he stood facing her.

Sarah's eyes grew wide, "A kiss?"

"Yes Sarah, a kiss. I think a down payment now and one when we're finished will work nicely," grinned at her, moving closer.

Sarah's arms dropped to her sides, but she held her ground, "Fine… " Jareth moved swiftly forward and pulled her toward him, his hands on her shoulders, their bodies nearly touching. "ONE kiss, Jareth," she said, her voice not as commanding as she'd hoped.

"Of course, my dear," he said lowering his face to hers.

Their lips brushed, and then seemed to meld together. Jareth's left hand moved to the back of her neck while the other slid down to her waist. Sarah felt as though her lips were on fire and it was gradually spreading throughout the rest of her suddenly hungry body. Her hands pulled him closer until they were pressed against each other, then curled around and rested on the back of his shoulders. A moan left her as he pulled away grinning. "Well, I'd say that answers a few questions," he said.

Sarah groaned again and rested her forehead against his chest. "You don't play fair."

"No, I don't, and you should know that by now," he said pulling away from her. "Shall we get started then?"

Sarah sighed as she pulled away and went to her supply closet. She pulled out an easel, brushes, acrylic paints, and a stool for Jareth to sit on. She moved the stool to where the best light was and told Jareth how she wanted him to pose and he sat and did as she bid him. Sarah started to sketch what she was going to paint later, her mind on autopilot as she contemplated the kiss Jareth had given her. Her lips were still somewhat swollen from the intensity and her face still felt rather warm. Her eyes kept flicking back and forth between what she was drawing and Jareth. He stayed in the pose she'd set him in, one leg extended, one bent. He was leaning forward slightly, holding one hand before him, she'd given him a rubber ball to hold in that hand. His other hand was raised as though to say 'just a moment' to someone approaching or calling for him. He was gazing intently at the rubber ball that was supposed to simulate one of his crystals. "You can rest your hand if you want," she said moving on to put a bit more detail into the clothing she was drawing for him.

Jareth lowered his raised hand, but remained still otherwise. "Are you always this serious when doing your art?" he asked continuing to gaze at the rubber ball.

She glanced up again to get the right shape of his nose. "I usually don't have a model. My work is mostly inspirational or spontaneous so it all comes out of here," she said tapping her head with her pencil.

"I see, so you're not used to someone observing?"

"Not really, no. Keep your mouth closed for a moment."

Jareth kept still for minute. "Are you telling me to be quiet?" he joked.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "No, I'm trying to get the details of your face," she said concentrating on the canvas.

She stuck out her tongue slightly as she narrowed her eyes and focused on a particular section. Jareth smiled, thinking to himself how adorable she looked. He allowed his gaze to roam over her. She'd developed well since her teenage years. Her face was more defined and her hips were fuller. She didn't have the girlish appearance that had been so evident during her time in the labyrinth; now she had a womanly grace that made her more beautiful than Jareth remembered. She glanced back up at him and motioned with her pencil for him to look at the ball again. He smiled, but went back to looking at the ball in his hand.

For nearly an hour and half, Jareth sat still while Sarah sketched out his figure and added some background details. "Okay," she said finally. "I think this should do it for the sketching part. We'll start painting tomorrow," she said looking out the window to the skyline that had begun to darken.

Jareth stood and stretched out his aching muscles. It had been six nights now that he'd slept on the too-small couch and the combination of having to sleep in uncomfortable positions and sitting still in one position for an hour and a half was making his back ache. He tried to straighten, but is lumbar protested too much and he grimaced as he put a hand to his lower back. Sarah gave him a concerned look. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm just grimacing for the fun of it," he snapped. She looked a little hurt by his sarcasm. He sighed, "I'm sorry Sarah. Pain makes me behave like I normally wouldn't."

Sarah nodded, "I know what you mean." She started to organize the art supplies she'd used so that everything would be ready for tomorrow. When she looked back up, it was to see him still hunched over in pain. "Would you like a massage?" she offered.

He looked up in surprise at her offer. "I'd certainly appreciate one if you're serious."

She smiled, "Of course, I feel bad that it's because of my couch that you're in pain."

He snorted in agreement.

"Go down to my room and make yourself comfortable on the bed while I finish up with this," she said gesturing to the supplies.

Jareth left the loft and Sarah finished straightening her supplies. Then she headed down stairs and into her room to find Jareth sitting on her bed. He'd turned on the radio to a relaxing station and seemed to be trying to relax his muscles, but wasn't succeeding. Sarah walked over, "Shirt on or off?"

He smirked, "Off."

Sarah went into the bathroom and grabbed some oils she usually kept for baths. When she came back in, Jareth had his shirt off and was lying on his stomach on her bed, his arms propping up his head. She rubbed some oil into her hands and sat down on the bed next to him. "Are you ready?" she asked.

He nodded and she lightly started to rub oil on his bare back. His skin felt so smooth beneath her hands, she wondered if this was as much a sensual pleasure for him as it was for her. A groan slipping from deep in his throat as she started to work out a knot in his shoulder answered her question. She continued to knead and rub his back, taking care to gently work out the knots when she found one. The noises he made, she suspected were unconscious, but it gave her pleasure to know that she was helping him to feel better.

"That should do it," she said quietly when she'd finished.

He didn't answer or move and she bent over to see that he'd fallen asleep. Quietly, so as not to disturb him, she rose and grabbed an extra blanket from the chest at the end of her bed and covered him up. She changed into her pajamas in the bathroom then came back in her bedroom, climbed over the sleeping monarch and slid under the covers, making herself cozy before falling asleep.

o O o O o O o

The next morning, Sarah's alarm clock went off at eight o'clock sharp. She groaned and reached to turn it off, but found something large and warm blocking her way. She opened her eyes to see Jareth, awake and looking at her in amusement. He reached behind him, and flicked the switch on her alarm to off. She was still pressed up against him, frozen in shock, trying to remember why the Goblin King was in her bed, but then remembered the massage and tried to back up toward the wall, but his arm shot out and around her waist, keeping her pressed close. She squawked indignantly and brought her arms up between them. He leaned toward her and whispered in her ear, "Thank you for the relaxing massage last night."

Sarah gulped, "You're welcome," she squeaked out. "Can I get up now?"

He chuckled and kissed her forehead before letting her go and sitting up. Sarah sat up as well and scrambled out of the bed. She hurriedly gathered up her clothes for the day and went to the bathroom to change and perform her morning rituals. After she'd showered, gotten dressed, and freshened up for the day, she exited the bathroom to find Jareth dressed and in the kitchen scrambling eggs. "I didn't know you could cook," Sarah commented leaning on the doorframe separating the kitchen from the living room.

"Usually no, I can't, but eggs? Eggs are my specialty. It's a population control thing…" he said not turning towards her.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Population control?"

"Chickens, there's an over abundance of chickens in the Goblin City and for some reason they find the castle to be a good nesting ground," he said smiling at her. Sarah laughed. "Would you like cheese on your eggs?" he asked.

"Yes please. I'll make some toast and coffee," she said starting to move about the kitchen and setting the bread in the toaster and starting the coffee.

Five minutes later, they sat eating breakfast listening to a popular station on the radio. After breakfast, they moved up to the loft where Sarah positioned Jareth on the stool again and she started laying down paint on the canvas. The day passed quickly with Jareth getting up to take frequent breaks and Sarah only breaking for a PB & J sandwich Jareth made for lunch. By six thirty that evening, the painting was nearly finished and they stopped for the day. Jareth came around behind the easel to see how much she'd done. "My ears are not that long or pointed," he stated blandly.

Sarah shrugged, "Artistic liberties…"

"Really? Perhaps I should extract another kiss for these liberties taken?" he raised an eyebrow suggestively.

Sarah gave him a 'don't even try it' look. He smirked and moved closer. "No Jareth, we made a deal with one kiss before and one after."

"I didn't know you'd be taking liberties though. Perhaps I should take some liberties with you?"

Sarah's eyes widened and she backed up into the supply cabinet. Jareth put a hand to either side of her face, effectively trapping her. He leaned down, his warm breath running across her cheek, and just as he his lips were about to touch hers, the doorbell rang. Jareth groaned and his head dropped to rest on her shoulder. "Any chance you'll ignore that?" his muffled voice came from her shirt.

"No…" she replied, her breathing just a little faster than normal.

Jareth moved back, allowing Sarah to exit the loft. A moment later, Sarah called up telling Jareth it was okay to come down. They'd decided that unless it was Jackie, Jareth should remain in the loft if someone came over. She didn't really feel like trying to explain his presence to any of her other friends. Jareth descended the stairs to see Jackie in the entryway. She waved at him and Jareth returned the wave with a frown. She lowered her hand quickly and turned to Sarah. "Hey Hon, just wanted to drop this off for ya." she handed Sarah an envelope. "You sold two paintings and fifteen prints this week; gonna have to get me some more soon," she said giving Jareth a strange look.

"Sure, and thanks Jackie. You sure you don't want to come in and have a drink or something?"

"No thanks," she said. "Did I interrupt something? Because Mr. Fairy King over there looks a little pissed…" she whispered to Sarah.

Sarah giggled and turned to see Jareth leaning against the entryway to the kitchen frowning at them. "No, you just have impeccable timing." Jackie gave her an 'oh really' look. "I'll tell ya later. See you Jackie!" she said ushering her friend out the door. She turned and leaned against the closed door. "Sorry."

Jareth raised an eyebrow as though to say, 'no you're not'. Sarah shrugged, not really caring what he thought at the moment. She moved into the kitchen to make some dinner for them. "I think I should be able to finish the painting tomorrow morning, then I'll take it to the gallery around noon."

Jareth mutely nodded, nibbling at the BLT she'd made for dinner. Tomorrow he would go back in her room. He hadn't found anything the last time he was in there and she'd been in the apartment since, so he'd not had a chance to look around. He was truly curious as to why she didn't want him in there. From what he'd seen last night, there wasn't much in the room to begin with. Perhaps in the chest at the end of the bed or maybe something was under the bed? Jareth set his mind and nodded along as Sarah told of her plans tomorrow.

o O o O o O o

Yay! The end of another chapter… I'm so happy at the response this story has gotten and continues to get. I have a lot plotted out now and I just have to actually write it out… lol. Hopefully I'll be able to continue this much writing once I'm back in school.

A huge thanks to I'Like'Cheetos aka Figarro-Luv on Deviantart, who's put up with beta'ing for me and continues to help me out!

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any of it's characters. Go thank Jim Henson and Brian Froud for that…